Stray
by blueangel3136
Summary: Based on Loveless The Fighter and the Sacrifice. Two halves of one whole. Meant to be together for eternity. But what happens when one half disappears forever? Or goes beyond reach?
1. Chapter 1

Stray __

Gomenasai for everything  
Gomenasai, I know I let you down  
Gomenasai till the end  
I never needed a friend   
Like I do now

Tatu-Gomenasai 

The ghostly notes of a piano echoed with a deep melancholy within the halls of the hospital. Once in awhile, the   
chords and melody would stop and the sound of a single note would echo as it was tuned with care. Many of the  
hospital's staff hummed along in their own tunes with the piano, not having heard it played in quite some time. The  
last person to play it was no longer capable of doing so, and now she simply sat in her seat, listening with her eyes  
shut as her once seemingly destroyed mind buzzed with activity.

The hospital was usually quiet this time of day, for most were in their rooms, induced into slumber by drugs. Yes,  
the rest of the hospital buzzed below and above their feet. But for the patients of the mental ward, this time of day  
was usually silence.

Even still, no one was bothered as a young woman played the old piano with a touch that resembled one of a   
lover's. She was a gentle person, that much anyone could see. Beyond the fact that she was in the ward, she was a  
normal girl. Very few knew exactly why she was there, just like the other lone female in the room. Some said she'd  
lost her mind finally, for her story was very well known.

Nearly burned alive alongside her lover.

That had been several years before, and yet people still talked of it. The way it had all happened was so very  
strange. Two high school students found buried in the rubble of an elementary school, one burned to death and the  
other cling to his body, tears leaving stark trails down her dirt, ash, and blood encrusted cheeks. It was said that  
nearly five police officers had to pull her from the young man's body as she screamed for all the world to hear.

And heard it was.

People at her high school unanimously wore solid black to school the next day, mourning the loss of a dear friend  
and yet, thanking the Kami that they were spared one. Both had been popular to all within their school, having only  
a select few enemies. Many of the students felt their insides twist at the thought of seeing one without the other, for   
they had never been apart longer than a day or two.

Now, one would have to live without the other.

But the story was becoming overdone, and fewer people spoke of it. Fewer still knew the true story of the two teens.

They had been given the same name, a name given to them before they were even conceived. Both were born to  
separate branches of society, she to a normal urban family and he, to a insanely successful business man and his  
second wife. Very few knew of their true name, not even their parents, and they themselves never knew until they  
were in junior high.

At first, they despised each other. She was the perfect child, never getting into any trouble and always had perfect  
grades. He was rebellious to his core, and it shined brightly in everything that he did. They had met by chance, and  
by chance he had opened his locker door in her face, sending her to the floor. He'd stood above her in shock, just  
staring down at her with his wide golden eyes as she stared back up at him with doe-like eyes of such bright   
sapphire blue, he'd gulped upon feeling the intensity of her gaze.

Unfortunately, that first moment had been shattered by a smart comment on his part. Which in turn, earned him a  
well deserved slap from her. Needless to say, they didn't get along very well after that.

Fortunately for those watching over them, another chance happening helped them realize their destiny.

It was the first day of a lab in the newly completed science building, and a single misplaced chemical set of a  
blazing fire that trapped many inside their classrooms until help arrived. But unlike the others, they had been away  
from the classrooms, having been selected to get more supplies after one of their daily spats. When the fire had  
started they were forced into a small supply closet. To the day that he died, he swore that in an instant an  
overwhelming surge of protectiveness came from deep inside him and he'd sheltered her within the small closet, all  
the while thinking that it was most likely going to be their grave. Especially after the hall outside collapsed and  
trapped them indefinitely.

Within the confines of the raging fire, as other students who knew they were still inside cried in horror, time seemed  
to still as Kagome, who had breathed in more smoke than he had, suddenly opened her eyes and smiled up at him.  
That moment in time was all it took.

Their name became known to them in that moment, a searing hot pain erupting on his right shoulder and her left.  
He'd brought her to his chest in a crushing hug, and without realizing it, they had said their name out loud.

_"Inferno, so strong it burns you to your core." _

After that, they had both lost consciousness.

The sound of the piano faltered for a moment as the girl become lost in her memories, a lone tear falling from her   
right eye and landing on the E key of the piano.

'Ironic to think that our name was shown to us during such a disaster.' 

She shook away the deeper thoughts, and instead began to play once more and become lost in the memories she  
hadn't explored in some time.

They'd both awoken in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by darkness. No lights shined around them, no flames   
roared, no structures cracked. There was simply nothing, and they had turned to one another with wide eyes. It was  
then they realized they were in fact glowing with a red haze, completely unharmed by the fire.

Except for the distinct pain upon their shoulders.

_"You two are one's who share the same name. You live for each other, and no other. Whether you approve or not,   
you are bound in ways that run thicker and deeper than blood. Two halves of the same whole." _

They'd been shocked to find themselves not alone, but joined by two others who were dressed in similar ways. They  
were young children, both with white hair and black eyes. They could have been brother and sister had it not been  
for the distinct differences in their facial structure. The girl wore a simple white sun dress with silver flowers across  
the bottom hem. The young boy, who was about a head taller than the girl, wore a pair of worn jeans and dirtied t-  
shirt that looked to be three sizes too big.

But they seemed to fit together like a lock and key, despite some appearance differences.  
_  
"Who are you?" _

He had found his voice first and spoken to the children, who in turn smiled at them with a barely noticeable upturn  
of their lips.

_"Nihility, so dark it consumes your soul." _

They spoke as one, breathed as one, and thought as one. Although it may have been understandably eerie under   
normal circumstances, they were not bothered. For they were already shocked enough as it was.

_"You, Inferno, are just like us. A single being that works with two halves. A Sacrifice and a Fighter. Although,  
sensei is determined to make sure you can both be what you wish. Both shall have the chance to defend the other." _

This time, she had found her voice, though shakily.

_"What are you saying? Are you saying...are you saying we're supposed to fight others like us? People who share   
the same name?" _

The children had nodded before the boy had stepped foward and stomped his foot once, making a purple ring of  
light appear around his feet.

_"Battle system initiate! I proclaim a battle of spells!"_

"Get behind me!"  
  
She'd been pushed behind her unlikely savior, still feeling the burn upon her shoulder. It seemed to intensify with   
every moment. But to her relief, it suddenly lessened when he protector had spoken.

_"I proclaim myself the Fighter of Inferno, and accept your challenge with consent of my Sacrifice!" _

She faltered again with her fingers just above the keys, a ghost of a smile upon her lips. How surprised she'd been  
then, to find he knew about what was going to some length.

Where as she had no idea.

She began to play again, making the other female in the room open her eyes slightly to reveal hazed cinnamon eyes.  
This girl was different from the other, and she smiled fully with a twisted grin behind the piano player's back. 

_"Please, consent to this. If you don't we'll die here." _

She'd been so terrified in that moment that all she could do was nod as he stood up fully again, leaving her upon her  
knees as she watched this supposed battle ensue. Nihility had struck first, sending lashes of purple light towards  
them. But instead of hitting her protector as she had thought they would, the lashes went past him and wrapped  
themselves around her wrists and neck.

She'd never in her life felt such pain, and the lashes felt as though they were slowly melting past her skin to the   
bone. This, she knew to be true quickly when a trickle of blood could felt going down past her collarbone.

"Miss Higurashi?"

She didn't stop playing, but she did turn her head slightly as to acknowledge the aging woman behind her in a   
nurses uniform.

"Ano...there is someone who wishes to speak with you." At this, she snorted and turned back to the piano fully.

"No one has come. No one will ever come. For who wants to see a person who's been thrown away? Hmm?" She  
received no answer and decided the woman must have left as she went from a soft tinkling sound to a darker,  
heavier sound as she played, seeing the first battle she'd ever been in within her minds eye. 

In his desperation to free her from the painful lashes, her "Fighter" as he'd proclaimed himself, had ended the battle   
quickly enough. The two children had smiled in a strangely approving way as the darkness had dispersed, leaving  
them standing in a field of high grasses that overlooked the harbor she knew was close to the business district of the  
city.

_"You've done well. Sensei shall be in touch." _

With that, they had turned and walked off together, leaving the teenagers to themselves. After that day, nothing was  
ever the same.

The sensei had indeed been in touch, visiting them at the oddest times to train their skills. Both caught on quickly,  
her more so since she knew nothing of this. She began to understand the pain she felt was better that no pain, for no  
pain meant her other half was in pain. They began to be able to sense each other. If one was in danger or  
emotionally distressed, the other knew.

Must faster than anticipated, they began to surpass others in combat who had been fighting for many years. They  
truly were an inferno, burning across the competition with little to no mercy. They weren't ruthless, and they  
refused to kill. But nevertheless, they were powerful.

There was a time when they were forced to make a kill, having already switched so that she was the temporary  
Fighter due to the fact that their opponents had made sure that their roles were already switched. He had fallen to his  
knees in agony, and in a desperate effort, she'd wiped them off the field.

She was inconsolable for weeks after that.

But he'd helped her see that it wasn't her fault. That there hadn't been any other way around it. With that advice,  
she'd come around again, stronger than before.

Everyone knew their name, everyone knew of their power, and yet, no one truly knew at the same time. The world  
around them was oblivious to the battles that went on every day, the mysterious deaths that would never be  
explained because they weren't even caused by something viewable in the normal realm. But they didn't care that no  
one knew of their triumphs. They didn't care that their parents questioned their morals when they would disappear  
in the middle of the night, and sometimes not return for days.

For they'd had each other, and at the time, that had been enough.

"Gomen, but you'll have to stop playing that piano and speak Miss Higurashi." She stopped again, and finally  
turned around fully to the woman with such fluid grace she amazed herself.

After all, they'd recently doubled her medication intake which had already been nearly three times the normal  
amount the other patients took.

"Honto ni? Well then, someone must really want to see me." She laughed darkly as she stood, brushing some of her  
waist-length, onyx hair behind her ear, before she spoke again. "Strange, why would someone want to see a girl  
with no memory of the last year and enough mental problems to last a lifetime?"

Again, she laughed, and the older woman winced in slight fear. This caused the young woman to stop in her  
movement, which was spinning on her toes towards the doorway, and frown.

"Mou, the baba-chan is afraid of Kagome. Pity, I wanted a friend." She giggled again as she walked past the only  
other patient in the room, but her laughter stopped when a frail hand suddenly latched onto her wrist with far more  
strength than she had imagined possible.

"One such as you can never have friends." The girl known as Kagome blinked, the slight haze that usually shined  
dully in her eyes suddenly gone.

"Nani?"

"You did not die with your Fighter. You let your other half die, to be burned alive." The other girl growled as she  
bent her head lower than before. "I despise you. I despise him. You're just like he was. My Fighter left me to die in  
this place! He left his other half to waste away! I hate him! I hate you! You disgust me!"

"Kagura no!" The old woman came over in a bustle of nurses clothes and keys, pulling Kagura's frail hand from  
Kagome's wrist, where a purple bruise was already beginning to form. Kagome stepped back in shock, pulling her  
wrist to her chest with wide, suddenly tearing eyes.

"No! I'll kill her! She's just like him! Just like him!" The old nurse finally managed to reach in her pocket and pull  
out a syringe, suddenly jabbing it into Kagura's arm as she tried to break free from her wheelchair, which had been   
equipped with leather straps just for this sort of thing.

The old woman was so busy in fact, that she didn't even notice as Kagome let out a sort of choked sob and ran from  
the room.

Her bare feet slid easily on the well waxed floor, and a few times she had to grasp the railings on the walls to help  
steady herself. The drugs in her system weren't helping matters either, and her vision blurred in and out as she  
continued to run, hoping to the Kami that she might find an exit.

That she might finally escape.

Her vision blurred once more, and this time she missed the rails. Her whole world seemed to fall with her, and   
Kagome just wanted to cry out for the injustice the world had dealt her with.

But she never felt her body hit the floor. Instead, she opened her eyes to see herself reflected in golden orbs of  
captured sunlight. Her vision blurred once more, from tears and the drugs, and Kagome sobbed in relief as she used  
what little strength she could muster and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Inuyasha...you've come to save me all over again..."

With that, she fell into a deep sleep.   
A/N: 

Yeah...I've recently become addicted to an anime called Loveless and the whole way they fight struck me like a  
rock. I wanted to originally write a Loveless fan fiction, but while talking to a friend of mine, I was hit with even  
more inspiration to make an AU fic for Inuyasha using the fighting style from Loveless. 

Also, since I've seen a lot of similarities between Sesshoumaru and Soubi, there will be come similar conflicts in  
this story as there were in Loveless. Yes, I realize that Soubi and Sesshoumaru are VERY different in some ways,  
but in others...it's scary.

Then again, I could see Sesshoumaru being a closet perve if I really choose to think about it. XD

And for those of you who read my other stories, yes. I am planning on updating. But I've dealt a heavy blow when it  
comes to inspiration, so it's coming along pretty damn slow. Although, a certain person has caused my inspiration to  
come flying back out of the ass-end of nowhere. So yeah...zooms off to write more!

-Blue

P.S.

And for those who might bring up this question...I will tell more about Inuyasha and Kagome. It will probably be a  
completely different story in the Stray series. Cause I think I'm gonna have this as the main, another one for Inferno,  
another one for when Kagura was still..ya know...sane, and one as a sequel to this one.


	2. Chapter 2

Stray

Chapter Two

_One Year Ago..._

The seasons were shifting, branches that were once barren were now showing specks of green life. Birds that were once nearly non-existent were now everywhere, making quiet a racket in some neighborhoods. Rain still poured on occasion, but snow was long gone. The bay near the city was at an alarmingly high depth, and the waters were slowly overtaking many of the beaches and smaller harbors. When the tides rose, most made sure to remain away from the sea.

But not all.

He stood alone, looking out across the water with a thoughtful face and a cigarette held lightly between his lips. He felt very unlike himself today, though he couldn't exactly place why. Instead of wearing his usual slacks and dress shirt, today he wore a pair of his baggy jeans that rarely saw a day out of the dresser, a plain black t-shirt that hugged him more snug than he remembered, and a long black trench coat that was currently billowing out behind him like a cape.

His long silver hair might have joined it, but it too was unlike usual on this day. On most days, he wore his hair down so that it rested again his back and went down to his calves. Instead of that, it was currently pulled up in a high ponytail to keep it out of his face while he was in this breezy seaside town. He took a long drag out of his cigarette, his golden eyes narrowing ever so slightly behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

He had work to do in this town, and he was simply losing himself in his thoughts. Pitiful.

With a snort, he turned on heel and began walking up the hill behind him to where he'd left the rental motorcycle parked. Letting the cigarette fall from his lips, he grabbed his helmet and shoved it on before stomping out the not even half finished cigarette. Then, as he straddled the bike, he pulled out a small slip of paper and a picture that was paper clipped to it. He simply flipped past the picture and studied the slip of paper.

On it, was an address written in the untidy scrawl of his assistant.

Once he'd memorized the address, he started the rental before heading off at his usual illegal speed towards the east.

And to the east, the local college was buzzing with activity just as any normal day. Most students were in large groups, moving as a pack across the large courtyard specially added on for recreation. But a few here and there traveled alone.

She was one of them.

Dressed completely in an outfit of black, she walked with a strange, flowing grace. Her steps weren't rushed nor lazy, and her face didn't hold any particular emotion whatsoever. She didn't wear a jacket, having decided to cherish the good weather while it lasted, and it was instead hung over her right arm, just in case. She wore a skirt that reached her ankles, the velvet changing ever so slightly in the sunlight. Her boots were black suede, with such a small heal that it barely made a sound as she walked. Her top was one of her own creation, lacing with satin ribbon in the front with a black lace under piece. Other than that, it was a normal tank top.

No one would have ever guessed she was new with the way she walked around with complete confidence in which way to go.

She'd never been to the campus, having only just arrived in the town itself three days before, and she took in as much as she could to remember her way. The town itself was much smaller than what she was used to, and the college seemed like a place she might actually be able to hang around at. Before now, she was looked upon with strange eyes and whispers were said behind her back as soon as she'd passed.

Because back in the city she once lived in, it seemed everyone knew the story of Higurashi Kagome and her supposedly murdered love.

At this moment, she frowned heavily and fought back a snort. The investigators had ruled it out as an accident at first, saying they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But not even three days later, a tip pointed out evidence not double checked. Now, three years later, it was still discussed, unsolved, and still debated.

Debated whether or not it was a murder or accident.

But unlike the police and the rest of the population, Kagome knew the truth. It had, in complete truth, been a murder, and it irritated her to no end that the authorities couldn't figure this out. But at the same time, she couldn't blame them.

After all, Inuyasha hadn't been murdered in any way conceivable by most.

She felt a sigh overcome her, and she cursed herself for becoming lost in her memories and thoughts once more. Looking up, she felt inwardly victorious to see she'd reached her destination. The arts building was much larger than the others, the reason being that the college focused more on the arts than anything else. More and more students were now abandoning the courtyard and entering the building, giving her the impression that the bell was going to ring soon.

Just as she was about to readjust her bag and head towards the building though, she felt her heart stop at the sound of her name.

"Kagome!"

"Kagome-san!" Feeling her insides twist as she did so, Kagome turned with widened eyes to see two people she'd never thought she'd meet again.

The one closest to her was a female, with chocolate brown hair that was currently pulled up in a high ponytail. She wore a pair of snug jeans, her trademark pink shirt that hung off her shoulders gracefully, and her boots were clearly her favorite leather pair. The second was a male, his black hair pulled back into a small ponytail at the back of his head. He wore a silk dress shirt of purple color and a pair of black slacks, both of which seemed far too fancy compared to his worn out high tops.

'Why...why did they follow me!'

"Kagome! I can't believe we were right!" She felt like crying when the female slammed into her and hugged her fiercely. The male of the two stopped about a foot behind his companion, which she guessed she should have been thankful for.

"How did you..."

"We took a wild guess actually. We remembered you'd said something about how your uncle had bought a small house here awhile back, and figured that you may have come here instead of simply leaving the country like others thought." She looked over at the male with such shocked, doe-like eyes that she almost resembled the person she was three years before.

Almost.

"Kagome, why didn't you tell us you were leaving! You know Miroku and I would have come with you!" Kagome forced herself to keep her eyes downcast, not making eye contact with the other female as she finally let go and stepped back slightly, still keeping her hands on Kagome's shoulders.

"Sango...I didn't want to tell you. You two don't need to be here. I'm fine, really. Besides, eventually the story of...the story will reach this place and I'll be forced to leave again." She'd felt her heart cease function in her chest when she'd nearly said his name, but she fixed herself and kept going. Just like she'd done for three years.

"Kagome don't you dare say that! Even though we know you're fine, Miroku and I couldn't leave you by yourself!" At this moment, the male know as Miroku finally stepped towards her with a serious look upon his face, which was highly unusual.

"Sango's right. Besides, from what I've gathered, more of Them have been sent after you." Kagome looked up at him with slightly fearful eyes, showing more emotion in those moments than she had in three years.

"But I thought..."

"That's not all Kags. Supposedly someone's been sent directly from his family to find you." At this, Kagome backed away from them, her eyes growing wider with each step as she shook her head slowly.

"Onegai Sango, tell me you're kidding. Why would they send someone now, after all this time has passed!" Several people walking by turned and glanced at her as her voice grew frantic. But she didn't care.

After Inuyasha had died, she'd never heard a word from his family. She wasn't even permitted to attend his funeral. Then, just barely a week after he'd left her, Inuyasha came to her in a dream she would never forget. He'd spoken of how she had to keep living, no matter what. He'd told her about the assassins being sent after her, to fight her and destroy her for not dying with him.

For in the world they'd lived in, it was despicable not to die alongside one with same name as you.

She'd awoken within her room, the power out. The first set of assassins had been standing at the foot of her bed, not even issuing a warning before they'd attacked her. After several hours of fighting on her own against them both, Kagome barely escaped with her life.

But she'd promised him that she wouldn't die until he said so. In life, he'd controlled her with a single word. And he still did even in death.

"Kagome, we don't know why or who, but what we do know is that you're not safe by yourself." She looked over at Sango once more, her eyes still wide. But it was Miroku who spoke next.

"We're staying here, and there's nothing you can say to make us leave." She knew it was true. She could see it in their eyes, she could see just how dead-set they were about staying with her.

She only wished they would value their lives more.

"I guess I really have no choice. But I better get to class. After all, what kind of impression would my professor get if I was late on my first day, neh?" They nodded with smiles on their faces and said that they'd see her later for lunch before turning and walking back towards a car with its doors wide open.

She loved Sango and Miroku, but they weren't the most responsible people in the world.

So, with a sigh, she turned and headed towards the art building to try and salvage some sort of life for herself. Kagome had always imagined that one day she'd be attending the college of her dreams, with a perfect record to aid her. She'd always dreamt that she'd succeed, and find herself engaged while she was still in college. Perhaps her Junior or Senior year.

But all her daydreams about the life she'd wanted were gone, and left was the hollow shell of a girl torn in two.

She winced with a hiss as a particularly heavy set man walked by and stepped on the side of her foot, but she let her face become calm again as she finally found her classroom and slid open the door. It was a large class, much larger than she would have thought for this town, and all at once the clatter of the room stopped and all eyes turned on her. But the only set of eyes that mattered were the professor's and she locked her own eyes with the older woman's as she walked towards her and pulled out her transfer slip from a pocket she'd sewn into her skirt.

"I take you're the transfer student from Tokyo?" Kagome nodded, slightly taken aback by the woman's tone.

"Hai sensei. My name is Higurashi Kagome." The woman studied her with a quirked eyebrow and a speculative look upon her barely wrinkled face.

"Hmm, don't look like the type we usually get here. But then again, you are from Tokyo so I guess there will differences." She turned her eyes upon the rest of class, all of whom had already sat down, before abruptly pointing to a seat in the back corner next to the window. "Take a seat next to Tanaka, he'll help you with anything you need I'd assume."

Kagome nodded respectfully before walking over to the empty chair, and the male who was currently observing every move she made.

He was defiantly not from the city, his face showed that much. Cobalt blue eyes were wide, and his eyebrows so high that they nearly disappeared beneath his long, black bangs. The rest of his hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and if she were to bet, she'd say that when it was released it would reach down right around his hips. His clothes were simple enough, a black tank top and baggy, navy blue jeans.

She would have thought him somewhat likeable had it not been for the look on his face and in his eyes.

'Heh, he'd better get his eyes higher than my neck before I teach him the true meaning of pain.' Fortunately for him, he actually did turn his eyes away from her when he received a rather heated glare from the red head across the room.

Had she'd been herself, Kagome would have laughed.

Instead, she sat in her seat quietly and brought out her large sketchpad and a pencil that looked as though it had seen better times. The professor started as soon as she was ready, talking about a new project she was assigning for the week.

'Great, my first day back to school and I have to paint five pieces in one week.' Kagome sighed and leaned back in her chair as the professor went back over to her own desk, leaving the students to brainstorm. The project was somewhat difficult, being that each student was to paint five pieces using the same person or figure in every one. But each painting had to be distinctly different from the others, and anything too cliche or drab would be given a zero.

For several minutes she simply sat there, running through possible ideas in her head but never lingering on any of them. Eventually she looked out the window with a sigh, enjoying the view from three stories up as she looked towards the harbor. Nothing good enough would come to her mind, and she suddenly felt like screaming in frustration and throwing her sketchpad, pencil, and entire bag out the window. But before she could fully contemplate that action, a rather loud squeal resounded in her ears.

"The Kami must have been at their best when they created him!" Suddenly, nearly the whole female chunk of the class was slammed against the windows, looking down towards the main gates of the college. Kagome, being the ever curious creature she'd been born as, raised an eyebrow before getting up and looking through the only gap left.

What she saw made her drop her pencil and the sketchpad tucked under her arm.

The man was leaning against one of the pillars that held the large iron gate in place, his head downcast slightly so that his long bangs hid his eyes. A cigarette was just barely staying between his lips, the smoke rising up to the sky in a slow river of sorts. He was tall, very tall, and had a lean, athletic build. But it wasn't his good looks that had made her drop her things.

It was the achingly familiar silver-white hair pulled up in a high ponytail, so bright against the bricks, that made her heart stop beating within her chest.

'No...there's no way...' Then, as if her thoughts had reached him, the man looked up directly at the classroom.

Naturally, all the other students jumped back squealing.

Kagome, on the other hand, stepped closer to the window that was currently open and felt her whole body clench tight when she realized he was looking directly at her. His golden eyes stood out from over the top of dark sunglasses, making him even more unapproachable. But those eyes...they held no warmth.

Such a warm color, but so cold. What was more about his eyes, was that they knew her.

There was no mistaking it. This man, whoever he was, from Inuyasha's family and he'd been looking for her. His eyes knew her, and as she looked down at him in shock, they narrowed slightly and for split second, she swore she saw anger flash across his neutral face. She knew Inuyasha's family had wanted nothing to do with her, but this was unlike anything she expected.

This man hadn't come to chat.

'There's no way I can avoid him unless I leave now and go out through the back.' Realizing this was true, Kagome turned and grabbed her things before taking off towards the door as she stuffed her sketchpad back into her bag. She could hear the professor yelling after her, but she didn't falter. When she reached the end of the hall, she simply turned and made her way down the stairs.

After all, at the rate she needed to be out of there, an elevator may have been worse.

Her chest burned from her panic induced lack of breath, and she forced herself to keep running down the steps as a sharp pain erupted in her calve. Her footfalls echoed loudly within the empty stairwell and panic rose higher within her. Under normal circumstances, Kagome was level headed.

But she had promised Inuyasha. She couldn't die, not now. Only with his permission could she join him.

Finally, the ground floor came into view and she sped up. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she adjusted her bag and sprinted as fast as she could towards the back exit which she'd come in through. There were a few people milling about down here, and most turned to give her strange looks as she ran like a bat out of hell towards the exit doors just a few feet ahead of her.

Time seemed to slow when she finally pushed them open and began to make her way down the short flight of steps, and she nearly let out a cry of relief when she began to run on flat ground towards the street. But, her victory was cut short when something clamped down around her wrist.

That something was a hand with unusually long nails.

'No...I have run!' But she couldn't make herself move. Her limbs seem to go on auto pilot and she turned on heel slowly before looking up.

He stood towering over her, his dark sunglasses no longer on his face, with his snowy bangs hanging in front of his golden eyes as he seemed to glare ice into her soul. His grip was firm, and it suddenly clicked in her mind that it wasn't just firm, but painful as well. That's when the anger she'd kept bottled up inside suddenly came flowing out as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Let me go. Now." At this, the man raised his eyebrow with a bored expression on his face.

"You think you have the right to order me around girl? Gomen, but I'm not Inuyasha."

"Don't you speak about him that way!" She struck at him with her free hand, all her strength thrown into her punch, but she growled in the back of her throat when he simply caught her fist easily in his free palm. "Bastard! Let go of me!"

"I'll do what I ever I wish with you girl. A traitor is always treated in such a way." At this, Kagome's ire diminished and she felt her body suddenly become nearly limp. She broke eye contact with him, not noticing his glare intensify as she did so, and simply stared into space as her bruised heart began to crack once more.

Is that what they thought? That she was a traitor? That she had simply done nothing to aid Inuyasha!

"It's not true."

"Nani? What are you mumbling about girl?" She sighed shakily, barely holding back tears as she looked back up at his face and began to tremble from all the inner turmoil.

"I would never, even if my life depended on it, betray Inuyasha. How could you people think that I could?" Her expression was so utterly defeated, the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced, and for the first time in many years, he felt something stir within him.

Was it possible, whether he chose to believe it or not, that there was more to Inuyasha's death than what he was originally told?

"Girl, you're going to tell me everything you know. Iku." He tugged none too gently on her arm, leading her towards the main gates where she'd first seen him, and surprisingly, she didn't resist. Little did this man know that his words, whether meant to cause damage or not, had ripped open old wounds once more and now her emotions were suddenly leaking forth for the first time in three years.

And Kagome was lost as to what to do about it.

She only came to her senses once they'd reached his vehicle, and Kagome felt a sudden surge of gratitude towards the Kami for making her wear a long skirt today as he gestured quite rudely for her to get on the back before handing her the only helmet. As she pushed the helmet over her onyx locks, she blinked when she realized that his long, silver ponytail was still hanging free.

Wasn't he worried about his insanely long hair at all?

But she didn't get a chance to ask him as he suddenly raced away from the school like a bat out of hell, forcing her to grip around his waist for dear life. She blushed lightly, for the first time in quite awhile, when she realized he was a very toned man. Lean, but very tone. If she were to bet, she'd bet that his body had less fat content than a marathon runner. At this thought, she inwardly frowned at herself.

'Baka, he's here to interrogate you about his dead brother. Quite checking him out.' The thought of being asked about Inuyasha sent a knife into her heart, but in her mind, if anyone deserved to know about Inuyasha, his brother did.

A/N

Woohoo! Second chapter! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! Just getting that many for a new fic makes me dance in my desk chair! 3

I've been home sick today, so naturally I've written quite a bit. Although I must say, Chaos is giving me hell currently. I may put it, sadly, on hiatus for awhile. Apart from the prologue, I've considered rewriting it and making most of it smoother. I don't know, I love the story but I don't like how it flows. Heh, I'm a baka, ne?

My thanks go out to:

moosegirl13 Oooo, is it really that addicting? If so...W00T! LOL! And I'm glad I can get an emotional stir from my readers! 3

MikosWish Yeah...when I wrote that little bit at the end of the first chap, my heart went out to Sesshoumaru-sama 3 And I REALLY know the feeling of disappointment when you finish a really good chapter of a story and you have to wait for an update . I was like that with Tales From the House of the Moon. That story is an AWESOME Sess/Kag and WILL make you cry. XD

But anywho, dinner's done. So...scurries away to refill her fuel

Ja ne minna!

Blue


	3. Chapter 3

Stray

Chapter Three

A/N: Sry for the wait! I can only hope it was worth it! Although with the three day weekend coming up, I'll probably get alot of work done! Ja ne!

Small. The girl was without a doubt small. Not exactly thin, but more along the lines of petite. Although, when he'd first seen her making a mad dash towards the back parking lot of the college, he'd noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the tell-tale signs that she hadn't been eating enough, or eating at all. Even now, as he rounded another sharp turn, her tiny arms lacked the strength one normally saw in one such as them.

One such as them.

Feeling her against his back now, he couldn't bring himself to believe this slip of a female had fought alongside his departed brother. She certainly wasn't eye catching, a rather plain girl in all honesty. She was cowardly, that being shone when she'd tried to flee from him like he was some rabid dog.

The ironic side of him wanted to smirk at that, but instead he frowned as he increased speed.

His thoughts had always had a tendency to overwhelm him, but over the short span of three years, they were beginning to suffocate him. He had never held a brotherly love for Inuyasha, and yet he had never held animosity towards him either. But once the whelp had died, something had happened.

For the first time in many years, Sesshoumaru learned how to regret something.

He regretted never being a true brother to Inuyasha, never being even remotely nice to the boy, and he regretted never comforting him the day Izayoi, his own step mother, had died. But there were so many things he could have done better when his sibling was alive. So many things he could have said.

And for this, Sesshoumaru cursed himself. Cursed himself for caring only after Inuyasha was gone. Cursed himself for being so weak.

"Hey, look out!" Sesshoumaru felt the world come rushing back when the young woman behind him screamed, and he narrowed his eyes dangerously.

They stood in the road, smirks written plainly on their faces even if their lips weren't lifted. Their eyes, so dark and empty, stared him down with a promise. The brakes screamed as he suddenly stopped about twenty feet away from the two. It was then that he felt the girl shaking in fear behind him, and heard her whisper.

"Inuyasha...what do I do?" A deep frown ran across his normally frozen features and he snorted as he swung his leg over the motorcycle and stood, adjusting the sunglasses on his face.

"Ah, so Heartless has finally shown his face after all this time." His eyes narrowed as the male of the two spoke, his voice no louder than a whisper but foreboding all the same.

"What business do you have here Nihility?" The dark boy chuckled, sending shivers down Kagome's spine. Unlike the man standing before her, she knew why they were here. They were just like the others, sent to kill her for her supposed "betrayal".

"We haven't come for you Heartless. Although, it would be nice to see you wiped from this world. No, we've come for the lovely Inferno." Turning slightly, Sesshoumaru saw that the girl was visibly shaking and this made him glare all the more. She clearly knew why they were here.

'So, they've begun sending assassins after her. Strange...' It was clear what they thought of her, for they thought the same about him. But never, in the nearly seven years after the accident, had any assassin been sent after him. Sure, open animosity had been something he'd dealt with for longer than he could remember just because of what he was. But assassins? Something occurred to him then, as he watched the fear suddenly leave the girl's eyes.

These assassins were sent for more than just the belief that girl betrayed Inuyasha. There was something more to the story.

"So, you all think I betrayed him?" Again, the boy laughed in his dark way, setting of a fire in Kagome's eyes that previously ceased to exist.

"On the contrary, I know just as well as you what happened three years ago." Sesshoumaru raised a delicate eyebrow at the sound of a loud growl coming from the girl.

Had she'd been more than a simple human, he may have actually registered full shock upon his face.

"You bastard. How can you sit there so smug like that? How! How can you laugh while Inuyasha rots in his grave!" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, the regret once more hitting him with a shocking blow. This girl, he couldn't remember her name off the top of his head, had seemed nothing more than a cowardly little slip of a girl only moments before. Now, she faced two of the possibly most feared people in their "world", and showed no fear within her brilliant sapphire eyes.

"I can laugh girl, because unlike you, I held no love for that disgusting hanyou." Sesshoumaru wanted to wince, for he had said the very same thing once upon a time. It had been true then. He wouldn't have cared if the wretch had ended up gutted in some back alley in Tokyo.

But for some reason, the circumstances of Inuyasha's death had hit him in a strange way and he felt a deep anger burn within him as he simply removed his sunglasses and placed them inside his coat, turning to fully face the two young youkai.

"Consider yourself dead boy. I proclaim a battle of spells." Kagome gasped as the world suddenly bled black, the only light seeming to come from their bodies as the two pairs faced off against each other. It was then that Kagome had to admit it was strange to be fighting with someone else for a change, especially someone she'd just met.

For the first time in three years, Kagome frowned when she realized she was once again a Sacrifice.

"Ha, two people who do not share the same name fighting against those that do! Fool! You cannot hope to defeat us! Kanna!" For the first time, the female child made her presence truly known and stepped up, a mirror suddenly appearing in her hand.

"Void. Swallow these traitors whole." Kagome felt shivers erupt on her body at the sound of the girl's voice, and just as much at her choice of attack.

For she'd fought Nihility once before, and it was not an experience she'd ever wished to experience again. But she heard the man before her snort lightly, so lightly she barely heard it all.

"Such spells cannot defeat one such as I. Perfect defense!" Kagome's eyes widened as a sudden dome of golden light surrounded her the man who she only knew as Heartless.

This made her wince on the inside, for few people had never heard of the story of Heartless.

Though she knew barely any details, the watered down story was enough to twist her insides over and over. Heartless had been a male and a female combination, and was said to be unrivaled in their strength. Unlike many fighting pairs, Heartless had been truly in love. Devoted to one another unlike any before, they were inseparable. One was never seen without the other unless it was against their will. Also, even though she'd heard the stories more than she cared to recall, Kagome had never heard the male's name.

But the females was whispered so often that Kagome knew her name would never fade from memory.

Kagura Onigumo. Just as she was unrivaled in power, she was unrivaled in beauty. Said to have blood red eyes and lips that could captivate any many. She had been the Sacrifice of Heartless, a woman said to have shone no pain. It was no wonder Heartless had been so well known, for the stories of Kagura's beauty were enough to spark their name throughout their "world". Another addition to her beauty, was her glorious dark hair that was said to be a wavy waterfall of chocolate down to her waist when she released it from its tight bun. Kagura had been raised in a sheltered environment, wearing only what her father told her to wear. But once away from her controlling father's eyes, she was said to wear such elegant, exotic outfits that they lured any man into her grasp.

But although they knew almost everything about Heartless, not one person in the world knew the story of how Heartless has merged into a Fighter and Sacrifice pair.

"Girl, quit your senseless daydreaming." Growling as low as she could, Kagome glared daggers at his back, noticing his raised eyebrow as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Ha, you're simple defense cannot protect you from our void!" Sesshoumaru growled as he felt the pull of the void, his own body beginning to slide slowly across the floor. Without looking back, he knew the girl was sliding as well, if not more than he.

_Kagome..._

Kagome fought against the pull of the void, feeling as though her very soul was being ripped from her chest. Her feet couldn't seem to find traction, and when the painfully familiar voice echoed within the panicked recesses of her mind, a sudden strength flooded through her.

_Kagome, use it. Nihility wasn't able to deal with fire and ice very well last time._

Nodding seemingly to herself, Kagome suddenly let herself be slid towards the form of her unlikely savior before suddenly finding her grip as she came alongside of him.

"What are you trying to do wench?" Blatantly ignoring him, Kagome narrowed her eyes and held out her hand with her palm facing the two young children. She was still slipping, that much she could feel, but she knew she was slipping at a slower rate now. A fire burned in her eyes, and she suddenly felt alive again as she spoke her incantation.

"Ice, take away all warmth." A sudden gust of stinging cold air blew through and though the two children didn't visibly show it, Kagome wanted to smirk when she felt the young boy becoming quite nervous. A sheet of ice suddenly bled across the black ground, and she could see her breath as large pillars of ice formed around them. She could feel his eyes on her, feel his anger at her intrusion, but Kagome found she could care less at the moment, and again, she braced herself and spoke her incantation with a flick of her tiny wrist.

"Fire, melt away the darkness."

The girl infuriated him. Not only was she not listening to him, but she was taking his position as Fighter. Never, in all his years, had he'd heard of such a thing. It was said to be impossible for the Fighter and Sacrifice to change their status, but apparently whoever had said that was wrong. For although she seemed the perfect Sacrifice, her tiny body and fragile strength making it obvious, she stood now with the fire of a Fighter in her eyes, and a glare almost harsh enough to challenge his own.

"It seems you've grown a backbone in the last three years. Tell me Kagome, how many scars do you bare upon your skin for your weakness? The weakness that cost your beloved hanyou his life?"

"Urasai na!" She raised her hand up above her head, the fire that surrounded them suddenly beginning to grow. Her eyes closed and a sort of peaceful bliss fell over her body. "Inferno, so strong it burns you to your core."

He watched her movements, finding that while he still slid slightly across the ground, she stood completely still. Her left shoulder glowed with a red light, and he could see her brand glowing through her black top. Flames swirled around her tiny form, and she was a strange pillar of strength in those moments as he watched her. Glancing at Nihility, he saw the young male frowning visibly as Kanna curled inward towards her mirror.

"Hakudoshi...this feeling..." The boy growled loudly as the heat intensified, their bodies already weakened by the cold and now being incinerated by flame.

"You dare show yourselves and speak of what you know not! I would never betray Inuyasha! To this day, I am loyal! To this day, I serve him! To this day...I fight for him!" Kagome lowered her hand, sending a fireball of intense heat towards the young pair. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as they both let out a shriek before disappearing in a dark light. Suddenly, the girl closed her hand into a fist, extinguishing the fire around them. For a moment, she remained still, her breathing loud and harsh.

It was quite surprised when a loud sob rang out in the melting darkness.

As the darkness faded and the light shined down upon their bodies once more, Kagome felt the sting of tears roll from her eyes. Though light was once again upon her, she felt as though she was still within that dark void. His warm presence was gone again, and she felt so empty that she thought her soul may have been taken by Kanna's mirror. Her strength suddenly failed her and she nearly fell to her knees.

She was shocked to find a pair of strong hands holding her up.

"Come. We shall go to your residence and discuss things in private." She nodded with shut eyes, trying to will away her tears. But they still flowed even as they straddled the motorcycle once more and she stuffed the helmet back on before they were off. She didn't have to point out the directions, for she'd seen him look at a slip of paper before they'd driven off.

For this, she was grateful. She could barely maintain her grip on him as it was.

Her sadness was a palpable thing, and he narrowed his eyes as her weakened body leaned against his back. It was strange to see one so weak after a small battle like that. But when he sniffed the air, he detected a lingering scent of infection. She'd obviously been previously wounded and was still recovering. How she was harmed, he could only assume. But his assumption lay on the assassins that were being sent after her.

Was that why she had ran? She had thought he was an assassin? Ridiculous.

He saw the street she lived on up ahead of them and on instinct took a right. As he watched the addresses fly by, he finally saw her residence ahead and slowed as he pulled into the small driveway. Before he could even kill the engine, she was was getting off the bike and walking towards the front door. By the time he'd caught up to her, she'd unlocked the door and removed her shoes. He looked around as he slipped off his own shoes, noticing that most of her belongings but the bare needs for existence were boxed away in cardboard boxes of varying sizes.

It was then he noticed several items that did not fit.

The first was a small top laying innocently on the coffee table that was shoved in the corner of the small living room. The second was a remote controlled toy car next to a shoji door. The third was a box that lay open in the middle of the dinning room, a young child's clothes laying all around it and inside it.

"Gomen, my son makes quite a mess." At this, his eyes widened somewhat. She must have seen this because a soft, sad smile revealed itself. "He's not Inuyasha's. I adopted him just this year."

"I have an adopted daughter." Why he told her this, he knew not. But she smiled a little brighter and began to work on a pot of tea, peppermint as far as he could tell, and he walked towards the rear of the house, looking out the french doors into a tiny backyard.

"How did you know Inuyasha? I know you must be from his family, the appearance is uncanny, but..."

"He was my half brother." Her tone was too cheery, too false, and he could hear her voice quivering as though she was holding back tears.

"I never knew he had a sibling. Then again, he didn't talk about family much." The fondness in her voice made him turn to her once more, seeing her reaching for two cups she'd already put away and were to high for her to reach. Without thinking, he strode over and grasped them gently before handing them to her, earning a light smile in return. The strong scent of the peppermint tea made his nose tingle slightly, but it wasn't enough to mask the scent of the female before him. An exotic blend of mango and vanilla.

"Inuyasha kept his private life the way he wanted it. Private. But in private, he became a completely different person." She turned away from the kettle, looking into his golden eyes as though she was searching for something. "I don't know how close you were to him, but whatever you may think of me, don't slander his name. Inuyasha doesn't deserve such a thing."

He inwardly gasped. Never had he heard of someone talk about his sibling in such a way. It was well know he was born a hanyou, the son of an inu taiyoukai and his second, ningen, wife. He assumed she knew this, for she wasn't shocked when Nihility had called him a hanyou. Then why, why did she not judge him for such a thing? Weren't all ningens quick to judge others and ridicule them? Or perhaps, this tiny slip of a girl was different.

Yes, she most certainly different. She was one of the few ningens to ever survive in their "world".

"Inuyasha was not the smartest of creatures. But his name shall not be slandered, not while this Sesshoumaru still breathes." She nodded.

"So your name is Sesshoumaru?"

He nodded slowly, an elegant movement she was instantly jealous of.

"For some twisted reason, it suits you. But I must ask...why did you come here Sesshoumaru?" His gaze narrowed when she turned to the kettle and took it off the stove.

"For answers. It seems as though you are the only person who truly knows them." Upon hearing this, she smiled darkly and lowered her head so her bangs covered her eyes.

"I do not know all the answers myself. But I do know this...Inuyasha was murdered. Murdered by someone who was selfish in their desires and reacted like a child who could not have his way. He ordered his minions to battle us, distract us while we were sealed within the school."

She stopped, and he could see her arms shaking as she supported herself against the kitchen counter. From anger or something else, he did not know. But her anger was there, its strength causing her scent to spike in a strangely spicy way as though someone had blended cinnamon into it.

"We didn't know what was happening until it was too late. Our opponents disappeared just as the seals were finished, trapping us in the fire. He had protected me, already wounded from the battle, and he died in my arms. His body collapsed onto me just as the rest of the building came down."

"His corpse protected you." A barely audible sob came from deep within her throat. Something clenched in his gut at this information. He could only imagine the emotional scars upon her soul after his brother's death.

"Hai. I was desolate, nearly lifeless, for sometime afterwards. But what truly made my desolation grow worse...was when your family refused to allow me to be there for his funeral." At this, his eyes widened.

He had always assumed she was too guilty to show her face, to fearful of what they'd do to her.

"A week later, Inuyasha appeared before me in a dream."

"Girl, how can that be possible. Inuyasha is..."

"Gone. I know. But it was him, it was my Inuyasha. He made me promise to stay alive, no matter the cost. He said I couldn't die yet, it wasn't my time. Ever since then, he contacts me somehow. I heard his voice today during the battle." She stood up fully again, a lone tear running down her cheek in the light as it glittered. But before either of them could move or say another thing, the creak of a door was heard before a loud slam.

"Kagome! Kagome are you home yet!" Several loud thumps were heard in the front of the house, and she turned to him with a pleading look in her eyes as she answered in a shaky voice.

"I'm in the kitchen Shippo!" The sounds of small footsteps were heard throughout the house and Kagome turned away from the tall male before her just as the child rounded the corner.

His appearance shocked Sesshoumaru.

The young boy was obviously a youkai, a kitsune to be exact. His concealment necklace was held in his hand as he walked over to Kagome and was lifted gently into her arms. Tiny claws were obvious on his small fingers, and fangs obvious in his smile. Fiery auburn hair and emerald green eyes stood out against his naturally pale skin, pointed ears poking out from beneath his locks. A fluffy tail poked out from under his adoptive mother's arm, swishing back and forth in a wagging motion. His feet, due to his species and age, were that of a fox, fuzzy and canine in appearance. With time, they would become humanoid in appearance.

The question was, how in Kami's name had this girl been able to adopt a youkai child? And why?

"Did you have a good first day sweetie?" The boy nodded, glancing back at Sesshoumaru for a split second before looking back at Kagome.

"Hai, it was fun. All the kids in my class were really nice. Did you have fun at your classes Kagome?" Kagome turned and looked at Sesshoumaru as she answered.

"I was only there for a little bit, something came up. But it is a lot nicer than back in Tokyo."

"Kagome, who's he?" Kagome smiled as she looked down at the kit, who was staring at Sesshoumaru with wide eyes.

"This, Shippo, is my friend Inuyasha's half brother. His name is Sesshoumaru." Shippo blinked at the older male once before looking up at Kagome with a question in his eyes.

"Is he's Inuyasha's half brother, does that mean he's youkai?" Sesshoumaru was quite surprised that he knew enough about his sibling to guess such a thing.

"Hai, he is. I can see right through his concealment just as I saw through yours." She looked up at him with a sheepish grin, and he sighed inwardly as he removed his own concealment necklace, a silver crescent moon hanging on a long silver chain.

Kagome gasped at the sudden wave of power that slammed into them. Raw, controlled, unlimited power. Markings were now on his face, two magenta stripes on each side of his face and a navy crescent moon upon his forehead. She could see his long, deadly claws upon his hands, the tips of more magenta stripes appearing at his wrists from under his coat. His youki was unbelievably strong, and she knew he was a youkai to be respected.

"Woah...you're a taiyoukai!" Shippo's excitement caught her off guard. Usually the boy was shy around people he didn't know, having been terrified of her when she'd originally met him.

"Hai, I am. I am heir to the western throne, and son of the Inu no Taisho." Kagome wanted to giggle when she felt her son's body quiver with excitement.

"Holy crap Kagome! You never said that Inuyasha's bloodline was that strong!" The young youkai child let out a squeal though when he saw his mother's glare. She'd tried everything to make him stop swearing, that being one of the first things the adoption agency had warned her about, but nothing seemed to work.

"Shippo..."

"That type of language is vulgar for ones such as us boy." Shippo blinked at Sesshoumaru, who's tone was completely changed from what it usually was. It was almost as if he was disciplining the child.

'Wow, he's like a male super nanny or something. It must be because he has his own daughter.' She wanted to laugh when she thought of such a man as "super nanny" but the laughter remained inside.

"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama, I'll stop." Kagome blinked at them both. Had it been that easy all along, she would've said that ages ago.

He felt her astonished gaze on him as he looked at the youkai child, and he felt the urge to smirk. So, the girl was apparently not the best disciplinary mother.disciplinary mother.


	4. Chapter 4

Stray

_Those who are lonely shall always reach for others who are lonely._

_--------------------------------_

That night, Kagome dreamt of Inuyasha again.

After the odd conversation in the kitchen when Shippo had arrived home, Sesshoumaru had said that he had business to attend to and he'd call her the next day to discuss the problem at hand. The problem being that she couldn't very well keep fighting off assassins on her own in this state, not only fighting for her life but for her son's as well every time she entered a spell battle. She needed help, no matter how much she may not have wanted to admit it even when he'd called her out on it, and he knew he may very well be the only person who could aid her. So, he said he had a proposition for her that they would discuss at a later time. With a farewell to her, a promise to  
Shippo to teach him more of his youkai heritage, and a rustle of fabric from his long coat, he was out the front door and gone into the evening. Gone as fast he had come, the water for the tea simply steaming innocently unused.

The night had gone regularly after that, mother and son sitting down for a small dinner before Shippo did his homework, asking Kagome questions as she unpacked the boxes in the living room and made their new home livable. This was how she liked things; simple and quiet. Ever since she'd become part of this "war" of sorts, her life was anything but simple and quiet. These moments, when the assassins were regrouping and the horrors of the past faded from the forefront of her mind, Kagome was finally at peace.

But such moments didn't last long. Kagome knew this all too well.

At eight, she'd sent Shippo upstairs to take his bath and put some more tea on for herself. As the sound of running water had echoed from upstairs, Kagome had leaned against the counter, lost in thought once more as she usually was. So much had happened in one day just after the appearance of Inuyasha's brother. After a sudden dry spell of battles, Nihility had suddenly shown their faces without warning. Could they have planned this? Could they have waited for Sesshoumaru to track her down and kill two birds with one stone?

No, she decided, that couldn't be it. That had seemed completely uninterested in the taiyoukai, focused on only her even as they fought against Sesshoumaru. It was disturbing. Why would they want to attack her so eagerly instead of the far more powerful opponent? But her thoughts came to a halt when a loud splash and resounding slam echoed from upstairs, making her jump into action as she sprinted out of the small kitchen and up the stairs.

It was truly amazing how one child could get bubbles on every surface of a bathroom, even the ceiling.

After that, she'd simply told Shippo to take his bath while she cleaned up the bubbles he'd gotten everywhere when he'd fallen into the tub. Apparently, he'd tripped over his own shoe and fell into the tub, spooking himself enough to start thrashing in the tub and getting bubbles everywhere. Under other circumstances, an occurrence like that would make Kagome giggle. But this was her child, who had made quite the mess of the bathroom, and she found it wasn't nearly as funny as it should have been.

Finally though, the bathroom was spotless again and the bathtub was empty. Shippo had been tucked into bed without incident, telling her about some of the children in his class as she walked around his room and picked up his dirty clothes for cleaning. Then, she simply smiled and kissed him on the forehead before turning out the lights with a soft, motherly "goodnight" that clearly said even through the sweet sound of it that if he got out of bed again before morning for anything other than the bathroom, there would be trouble.

Even though she was still young, Kagome could already strike the fear of the Kami into her child with her motherly glare.

Not quite tired enough to go to bed, she'd continued unpacking the living room and dining room while humming to herself and thinking about the strange occurences of the day. Her thoughts were repetitive, unanwered questions going around in circles. Therefore, she was rather shocked to suddenly snap out of it and find that she'd nearly unpacked the entire living room and the clock in the kitchen read midnight in green digital numbers. Strange just how fast the time flies when one's thoughts are running rampant. So, after tossing a few more crumpled up newspaper sheets into the trash and locking all the doors, Kagome had shut off the lights and walked stealthily up to  
her room, trying not to upset Shippo's sensitive senses and wake him up.

She'd walked into her room quietly, sliding the brand new shoji screen doors shut behind her with a small click of wood. She sighed when she saw just how plain her room still was. Her bed wasn't even on a frame yet like Shippo's was, just a mattress on the floor with her favorite emerald green comforter, pillow, and stuffed Panda bear she'd gotten as a baby placed on it. After opening three of the boxes closest to her, she'd finally found a pair of her favorite pajamas and exchanged them with her skirt before swapping her shirt and bra for a large black t-shirt she'd stolen from Inuyasha's closet the year before he died that said "Fuck the big bad wolf, dogs are better." across the front in crimson letters. It had made her collapse in giggles the first time she'd seen it, knowing all too well that Inuyasha didn't get along with ookami youkai at all. She never did ask him why, and all she knew was that he'd had a particularily bad run in with an ookami and ended up landing them both in a juvenile facility for a few days.

As she'd tugged on the big t-shirt, her eyes began to burn with the familiar sting of tears when a familiar scent reached her nose. Even now, after countless washes and nights spent in the t-shirt, Inuyasha's distinctive scent still remained in the cloth. Not just his colon, but the unique, musky smell of the essence which made up Inuyasha. For some time, she'd actually tried her hardest to remove the scent to escape the pain it caused. But in the end, she finally decided it was far too comforting to lose and she no longer tried to rid the shirt of the scent.

After pulling on her pajamas and slipping under her emerald green comforter, Kagome was shocked when sleep came much faster than usual. Within minutes, her body went limp and she was lost to the world of dreams and nightmares. It seemed like only seconds that she'd been left in the blissful sleep that had claimed her before she was suddenly blinded by a hauntingly familiar light.

"Kagome..."

His voice had echoed all around her, through the pure white space where she was the only source of color or change. She'd been there before, many times, and she felt the usual ripple of excitement and fear as she closed her eyes and listened to his voice echo around her.

"Kagome..."

That voice could still make her knees quake and her skin erupt in tingling goosebumps as she stood there quietly with her eyes shut. It was soft and so melancholy that it tore open an old wound in her heart. He'd told her once that he was lonely in this place, for he wasn't in Paradise nor Hell. He was in a realm for those who had unfinished business. But he was not a ghost, for he could not reach the realm of the living any other way except through dreams. It was a torturous existence, but one he had chosen in order to protect her and wait for her when her time finally came.

"Kagome, you're in danger again."

When he'd said this, she'd felt his strong arms wrap around her with such tenderness that it brought tears to her eyes. Tears that he no doubt smelled because she heard him sniff before feeling his chin resting on top of her head.

"I know. Nihility came to me today. But they weren't the only visitors."

"Sesshoumaru, right?"

"How did you..."

"Kagome, I'm dead. I know these things."

She'd laughed then, however weak it may have been through her sadness as he held her.

"Have you been spying again?"

"No, I got caught last time. Now I can only rely on the changes in aura and natural forces to figure out what's going on. I caught Sesshoumaru's aura earlier in the day."

"Ah, hence the knowing."

"Exactly. But he's not the problem. Those other two pieces of shit showing up is what bothers me. No one's attacked you in ages. So why start now when Sesshoumaru shows up in town mysteriously?"

"He wants answers."

"Huh? Who wants answers about what?"

"Sesshoumaru came here for you. To ask questions about your death."

He stiffened then, so suddenly that she'd stiffened as well. That is, until he collapsed in a fit of laughter and tears behind her, forcing her to turn and look at him. He lay eagle-spread on the ground, his chest heaving in a fit of laughter underneath his tight red t-shirt with a black dragon across the front. It had been his favorite in life, and now in death. His pants were black and baggy, barely secured with a belt. She'd felt a throb of longing then as she watched him laugh. Her sense of loss and lonliness suddenly seized her then and she had to use every bit of strength she had to not collapse on her knees in tears even while Inuyasha laughed.

"That bastard came asking about me?! Ha! As if! Kagome you have to be friggin' kidding me! The guy's got an icicle termanaly shoved up his ass and he's always taken it out on me! Why the hell would he..."

"He felt bad Inuyasha. I could see it plainly in his actions as we talked and in his anger when we fought Nihility."

"Kagome, you're making a mistake. Sesshoumaru..."

"Hates himself. He may not know it and he may not agree with it verbally, but I can see it in him. He hates himself for being so cruel to you when you were still alive. I think he came here to seek redemption."

Silence nearly swallowed them whole then, Inuyasha's loud laughter suddenly gone without a single echo. Again, Kagome had felt her sorrow and loss nearly consume her as she stood there in the silence with her other half sitting before her on the ground, his eyes wide and contemplative. They'd remained like that for some time, staring into each other's eyes without blinking as a sudden feeling of impending danger came over them.

"Something bad is about to happen, isn't it?"

Kagome spoke first, making Inuyasha frown as he stood with a long, tired sigh.

"Yeah, I think so. Things are about to get really rough if my hunch is right."

"Hunch?"

"Keh, I ain't gonna tell you yet wench! I gotta think for awhile. But you need to..."

"I'm scared."

She cut him off, making his gut clench with those two simple words as he looked her dead in the eye. What he saw there nearly made him cry for the first time since his mother's death. He'd always remembered her being so strong, so fiery. Now, she looked hollowed out as though someone had taken away her fighter's spirit and locked it away from her. She looked weak for the first time, far too innocent looking for one such as they. She was definitely scared, every line in her body said as much.

"Why?"

"Because...I'm alone. I have to fight on my own, Inuyasha. It's not possible anymore."

"Not possible anymore? What the hell do you mean?"

"I was drained steadily over time of my power when I fought my assassins. My power level is maybe only half of what it used to be. I'm unprotected, alone, and damn near powerless. It terrifies me."

He looked at her then with wide eyes, never hearing such words come from her. She'd always been so strong and stubbourn, never admitting pain nor fear in their battles together. But as she stood before him, her body looking as though it was about to collapse beneath her, he felt his insides twist when he realized just how truly horrid the world had been to the love of his life after his death. She was thinner, paler, and far from what he'd call healthy. She truly was so much weaker than he remembered, he could actually feel it suddenly through their bond. Her powers were either almost completely drained somehow or slowly going dormant and it worried him.

For without her powers she wasn't safe. She wouldn't be safe from Him.

"Kagome...I don't know what's going one but I think the gradual loss of your powers is part of the master plan."

"It's Him...he's back...and this time, there's no fearless hanyou to stand in his way."

A low, rumbling growl came from deep in Inuyasha's throat then and Kagome could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

"Yeah, the bastard's back and his fucking henchmen are in your house."

"What?! How?! I set up protection spells and..."

"Kagome, you're weak. Your spells may not be working correctly. But you have to go. You can't stay here with them in your house."

She'd nodded then, knowing he was right even though she wanted to stay there with him with every fiber of her being. But he simply smiled at her then, sad and soft, as he began to fade away in the white light again as the darkness dragged her back to her bedroom.

That's where she was now, sitting upright on her bed and trying with all she was to interperret the auras of the multiple intruders. She could hear their footsteps and instantly knew that Shippo could too, for he would have surely felt the change in the electrical current of the air in the house. She heard the footsteps grow closer to Shippo's room and she mentally cursed her weak powers and she forced more energy out to allow her to desciper the auras. The battle from earilier in the day had left her nearly completely drained as most battles did these days. She could feel the thin layer of sweat coating her body as she finally locked onto four auras.

'Four...I can't take that many...and neither can Shippo...' Panic began to settle in her stomach and she thanked the Kami that she could at least still block her scent and aura from intruders. She could tell they were all youkai, not exactly powerful but not weaker either. Weak youkai weren't a problem at all for her, but anything above a Class 3 was pushing it.

'At least Inuyasha tought me about youkai before he died...' She mentally thanked him in that moment, for that's when she realized what she was really up against. 'Three of the four are only Class 3, but there's one Class 4 that has me worried.'

But before another thought could ring out in her mind, another sort of ringing went off.

"Shit! I told you to turn off that fucking phone Jeremy!"

"I did!"

'American's? That's new...' She could sense they were all distracted by the phone and with stealthy taught to her by Inuyasha, she removed herself from her blanket and crouched low before making her way towards the only box that she knew the contents off. Their cursing was growing louder, and she could instantly tell when Shippo woke up as she reached inside the small box. Finally, the ringing stopped just as her hand wrapped around a metal object inside the box and she stiffened when one spoke.

"The brat's awake. Darren, go for him. Jeremy, just stay the fuck in the hallway and stay out of trouble."

'Shippo!' Panic burned low in her gut and her hand gripped tighter around the object in the box. But before the youkai in her hallway could make another move, she felt another aura make itself known. 'It can't be...'

Suddenly there were shouts and thumps from out in the hall and Kagome jumped with a shriek when her bedroom door suddenly became splinters as one of the youkai came flying through only to land in a motionless heap on the floor. Another one of the men went flying down the hall towards her linen closet and distantly she heard a child's yelp of fright.

'Shippo!' Throwing all reservation for her own life and safety out the window, Kagome wrenched free a large dagger from the box and sprinted out into the hall. She didn't bother to look towards the sounds of the struggle as she ran, but instead focused on the door at the end of the hall that was slightly ajar. Again, she heard his yelp as the sounds of something large and wooden echoed in the stairwell behind her. As she reached the door, her foot slammed it completely open and she could instantly see the shaking form of her son on his bed, wrapped in all his blankets.

It was then that a sudden warmth surrounded her and she let out an almost relieved sigh as a strange comfort flooded her senses.

_"It's Sesshoumaru. If that rat bastard really needs answers like I think he does, he won't let you die just yet."_

It was Inuyasha's voice, soft and strong at the same time, and she could tell there was something he wanted to add to his statement. But when he didn't, she simply rushed over to Shippo's bed and threw the blankets off as he cried out in pure terror. Then, upon seeing his mother standing above him, the young kitsune let out a happy sob and jumped into her arms, clinging so tightly to her that his claws bit into her skin. She didn't pull away or wince and Shippo didn't seem to notice. It was then that she realized that the sounds of a struggle had ceased in the hall. Turning towards the doorway, she could see a lone figure in the darkness, and she instantly knew who it was.

"Sesshoumaru." His name fell from her lips so quietly that she barely said it at all. Relief, thankfulness, and something else neither of them could understand echoed in her tone and she collapsed to her knees with her child in her arms as Sesshoumaru walked into the dim light of the bedroom. He wore a simple black tank top that was slashed across his chest with a shallow cut across his alabaster skin, and his pants were plain black and baggy. His longer silver hair was barely contained in a low ponytail that must have come loose in the struggle. He was, simply put, a sight to behold.

"Is the boy alright?" His deep baritone voice slammed her back into reality and she nodded slowly as she made her mind form words through the fuzz of relief and complete shock.

"He's fine. Shaken, but fine. Sesshoumaru...why do you...how did you know I was in trouble?" His expression never changed, and his glowing golden eyes never wavered from her face. He looked like a statue of ivory then, unwavering under the biggest of storms. His answer came, simple and blunt, and Kagome couldn't help but watch the way his jaw moved as he swallowed before talking.

"I came because I came."

And that was clearly that.

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_A/N:_

_Don't kill me! I'm sorry it's taken so long! I've been...preoccupied with family matters and school. Not to mention odd health problems no one can really explain. That, and writer's block hit me like a fat kid hits the buffet table. I really don't have much to say about this chapter other than I'm not too happy with it. But I will say this...for those of you who think things are moving too fast, it is intentional. All shall be revealed in due time. But yes, the way things are moving is actually intended this time. On another note, I'm hoping to get back into writing more since my grades came out and things at home seem to be settling down for a short while at least. My next hurdle is chapter five of Sometimes You Just Gotta Say "HUH?!", which seems to be giving me more trouble than ever before recently. But for now, I must go._

_But I would REALLY like you if you gave me reviews! _

_-Blue_


	5. Chapter 5

Stray

Chapter Five

If there was ever something so evil that it drove a person to insanity, it was silence. At least, that was Kagome's opinion. Silence could take make forms, none of which were something she particularly liked. There was deadly silence that chilled you to the bone, thunderous silence that shook you to the core, and there was the silence that happened after a student in your class cracked one off in the back row. Yes, Kagome didn't like any of those silences or any of the others as well. Although, she had to admit, the third of that list was the worst because during the silence you warring with the urge to laugh uncontrollably or to run out of the room disgusted.

But the silence that enveloped her home was nearly as bad.

She opened her mouth more times than she could count to say something, but every time seemed to evoke the ire of the stoic youkai leaning against the fireplace mantle and she was effectively silenced with a golden glare. Shippo, after finally loosening his less than gentle hold on Kagome's arm, had long ago succumbed to blissful peace of sleep. Kagome wanted to hate him for his ability to sleep under almost any circumstance, but she almost giggled despite herself when she looked down and saw him in her lap with a fine trail of drool running down from his mouth.

"You are a fool." The sudden baritone voice made her start slightly before she looked up at him in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

"You cannot hope to keep living the way you are. Recklessly, half-heartedly, and without regard to your own life." Immediately, Kagome resembled a puffed up cat as she carefully deposited Shippo onto the couch next to her and stalked towards Sesshoumaru across the room.

"How dare you! You have no idea what I've had to deal with you low-life, fowl, arrogant son of a..." He leveled her with a glare that would have normally sent her back towards the couch. Her fierce whispers would have leveled a normal ningen male to his knees, but Sesshoumaru wasn't about to back down.

"Now is not the time for name calling girl."

"You're one to talk!" Her furious whisper was more of a hiss as she spoke, her tiny index finger jabbing into his chest. Honestly, he hadn't seen her cross the room completely and was quite shocked to suddenly have a small, manicured finger nail digging into the skin beneath his black tank top.

"I know more than you think I know, and that is how I know that you are a fool." Suddenly, as though someone had burst a balloon, Kagome felt the anger flow out of her almost instantly as she gasped as if pained. In her ire, in her frantic attempt to make it look like she was doing just fine, she'd forgotten that Sesshoumaru was like her.

One half of a whole.

"Oh Kami...Sesshoumaru...I'm..."

"I don't need your pity." She flinched away from him as though he'd struck her, and once again he saw her as so much less than what he'd heard. She looked so small, powerless, and absolutely weak to him then. But instead of disgusting him as it normally would, it made something in his chest clench. She turned away from him and walked over to the french doors, looking out into the moonlight backyard.

As she stepped into the beams of moonlight, he had to fight back a gasp.

She'd changed her clothes while he'd disposed of the intruders and now wore a a pair of black slacks and a silk, aqua cami that hugged her in all the right places. The moonlight made her pale skin glow, her messy onyx hair shine, and the way the light flowed across her top was nothing short of enchanting. She looked so unreal to him then, so incredibly dream-like that his hand twitched with the urge to touch those silk strands of onyx to make sure she was real.

He snorted mentally at himself, letting a frown cross his features instead of barely there shock. How low he had fallen in a such a short time, how lowly he must seem to those who knew him before the "accident". He pushed himself away from the mantle with a barely audible growl, not at all liking the turn in his thoughts. But his growl and ire completely died when he focused on her face once more. For in the glowing light of the moon, he could see two crystalline tears making their way down her cheeks.

"I've tried. I've tried so hard to live on, to keep moving for not only Inuyasha, but for Shippo as well." Again, her voice sounded so tiny for one such as them and it made something in his gut clench almost painfully. What was this girl, this insignificant slip of a female, doing to him?

"But it's hard. It's so hard to go on without Inuyasha. No one realizes just how strong the bond is between the Fighter and the Sacrifice until one of the two is gone. It's like losing half of one whole, and every day I have to spend feeling like I'm incomplete...I wish more and more that I'd died with Inuyasha on that night. That's how it should have been." Her voice was nearly gone by the time she stopped speaking, shaking and fighting back the sobs that he was sure were fighting to get loose. It made him uneasy to witness this, her opening to the world as it were. She looked so strong and weak at the same time, glowing in the moonlight as tears raced down her cheeks. She looked like the whole world had been placed on her shoulders, and as she looked over at him with another tear racing down her cheek, looking utterly lost, Sesshoumaru suddenly wanted nothing more than to remove that horrible burden from her shoulders.

'What in the Kami's great name is going on?'

They stared at each other, sapphire blue meeting swirling gold in a clash that left them both in a stand still. For the first time in several years, two lost souls were found again. Two people were brought back to life. That is, until a rather loud snore from Shippo brought them back to the painful hell of reality. Sesshoumaru was the first to come back.

"You need help." At this, she snorted with the tears still in her eyes and stared out into the yard once more.

"No one can help me. No one is willing." Her voice was bitter and for a moment, she sounded like him. Strangely enough, Sesshoumaru found he didn't like it.

"I shall help you." Again, she snorted.

"Oh yeah, like I'm supposed to believe that. Inuyasha's family has never wanted anything to do with me, so why start now?" Her voice was bitter still, but had been warped by anger. She had fire yet, and it could be heard in every syllable of her voice as she'd spoke.

"I am different from my family. Inuyasha was a cherished son. I, on the other hand, was banished from the family." She seemed to lose all her ire then, something he'd said having hit far too close to home for comfort. She looked at him, their eyes locking once more, and she sighed quietly as she took the few steps needed until she was standing so close to him that he could feel her breath on his skin as she looked up at him.

"It seems we're more alike than I had originally thought Sesshoumaru." She didn't give him a chance to reply, and instead walked past him to where Shippo lay sleeping on the couch, gently lifting his tiny body into her arms before walking from the room with grace he hadn't thought possible from her. He followed after her, not wanting to allow her an escape from the matters at hand, until they reached the child's room.

He wanted to chuckle then, seeing just how insanely messy the small kitsune's room was. He didn't know how she managed at all. For him, a taiyoukai, it was hard enough to handle one ningen child, a female at that. But for her to handle a kitsune, who's mischievous nature was well known by everyone, and not have tried to kill him was a miracle in itself.

"Momma?" He noticed how she smiled at that, so soft and gentle it that it shocked him.

"It's okay now. No one's coming after us and you can go back to sleep now. Don't forget you have school in the morning." She gently tucked him into bed, all the while still smiling softly.

"M'kay...but may I have some Pocky tomorrow?" She laughed at this, tapping his nose gently.

"Any flavor you want."

"Strawberry?" She nodded and Shippo closed his eyes with a soft sigh of contentment. But instantly, Kagome's smile was gone and she was frowning. She stood upright, watching Shippo as he slept, her posture rigid and serious.

"I can't keep going like this. I've been lucky thus far but...but I think my luck is running out. Wouldn't you say so Sesshoumaru?" She looked at him, her expression dead serious, and he nodded, agreeing that her luck was starting to run out. At this, she sighed and walked out of the room and shut the door once he was out in the hall.

"I normally wouldn't consider this, but under the circumstances, I think it's required. I need you assistance Sesshoumaru." They both silent for some time and he could sense her fidgeting anxiously in the darkness.

"First off, you cannot remain here unprotected." She was instantly insulted, as he'd predicted.

"But we're doing just fine!"

"Oh? Is that how those youkai got into your residence without your knowledge?" She grumbled something as they began walking back down the stairs to the living room, and even with his youkai hearing, he was unable to catch it.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. But where do you suggest we go if not here?" He fought the urge to snort.

"Is it not obvious? You and the kit shall be staying with me in my penthouse until I find a more suitable residence."

"What?!" Her furious whisper was expected, but not entirely welcome as she turned to him with a fire he knew she'd possessed burning in her eyes.

"What else were you expecting? For me to find you some house in an area I know nothing about? You shall be staying with me for your protection only. Do not flatter yourself into thinking I want your presence in my life all day, every day." She snorted as she walked into the kitchen, intending to make herself a cup of tea to soothe her nerves.

"Let me guess; you'd rather have a bullet to the brain?"

"Quite possibly." She growled quietly as she yanked a tea cup from the cabinet, nearly losing her grip on it and sending it across the room in the process.

"Arrogant jerk."

"Excuse me?" She slammed the cup on the counter, just hard enough to not damage it.

"Nothing. When do you expect us to 'move in'? Whenever it's good for you?" She was irritated, that much was obvious, and he found he was rather likely her strangely witty argument with him. She had wit and unquestionably clever even in her ire. It was...intriguing.

"I shall have your things moved while you attend your classes tomorrow. A driver of my own or myself will be waiting for you when classes end. Do not go anywhere else." She snorted at him, reaching for the box where she kept the tea bags for her favorite peppermint tea.

"Yes Sesshoumaru-_sama._" He narrowed his eyes, not at all liking the obvious mocking tone in her voice when she used the honorific.

"I am doing this for your safety girl. You could at least sound grateful." She visibly rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'm grateful to you alright. But I don't appreciate you talking to me like I'm a child."

"I wouldn't speak to you like you're a child if you wouldn't act like one." She turned so fast that he was surprised and was barely able to grasp her tiny wrist in his hand as she swung her hand to lay a backhanded smack across his alabaster skin.

"You arrogant son of a..." He narrowed his eyes in a glare that he knew would send anyone into hysterics.

"I'd advise you not to finish that statement, _Kagome._" But apparently, Kagome could not be so easily frightened when her ire was present.

"And just what will you do if I finished it?" She stood up a little taller, obviously trying to make her tiny height irrelevant.

"I'm a youkai. What do you think I will do?" She snorted and turned away from him, throwing up her hands with an exasperated sigh as she grabbed the kettle and set it upon the stove in a less than gentle manner. Her back was to him now and he heard her laugh, though it was little more than an exhale as her hands found their place on the counter as she leaned over. Her tense, angry shoulders seemed to melt as he watched her, a slow sigh escaping her lips as that quiet laugh echoed in the night again.

"You're more alike than you know. You and Inuyasha. You're both...you're both so stubborn when you argue. Rather funny, actually." But her tone said otherwise. Her tone was that broken one again, one of quiet defeat. He could sense the agony in her soul, see it in the way she held herself up with the aid of the counter, and he could smell it as the scent of salt tickled his nose. She was truly living with the pain of half of her soul. Any others of their kind would have given up so long ago. But she, like him, kept living.

The only difference was that he lived for vengeance and she lived for...well, he wasn't quite sure why.

"Who am I kidding Sesshoumaru? I'm screwed. Taking a leaf out of Inuyasha's book, I'm totally fucking screwed. I'm so weak compared to what I used to be. Even when I can force myself to actually fight, I can barely even tap into my powers again. What's worse is that these units, these assassins, are getting stronger with every appearance. I can't keep fighting on my own."

"You won't be." Kagome snorted, still supporting herself on the counter.

"Nothing can ever be for certain Sesshoumaru, you and I both know that. What happens if a unit somehow gets past whatever defenses you'll have? What then? What if I'm too weak on my own? I'm only one half, not a complete unit. I was trained as both a Fighter and Sacrifice but I can only do so much." Sesshoumaru didn't know what to say to this. It was true. Nothing was ever certain, especially in lives such as theirs. How could he even hope that she'd never have to fight? It was in her to fight, to survive.

Just as it was in him.

"I shall find some way to get around the...complications."

"You can't solve all the world's problems." She looked at him over her shoulder now, her blue eyes glittering with unshed tears. Tears of regret. Tears of sorrow.

Tears of fear.

"Yes, but all we can do is try. Am I right?" Kagome smirked lightly at him, hearing her water boiling before turning and placing the tea bag clenched in her hand into the tea cup on the counter. When she spoke, she did so quietly as she poured the boiling, steaming water into the cup.

"All we can do is try, and live."

"And fight." She finished pouring and turned to him, a soft smile on her lips, and he realized that her ever changing moods would become very confusing and irritating very fast.

"Yes, fight. No matter how weak I may be now, I can always fight."

It was then, as they stood in the rays of moonlight coming into her kitchen, that they both reached the same realization with no outer change of expression. They understood each other, more than anyone else could. Each of them understood the other's pain, loss, and sudden weakness. Something happened to them then, something neither of them could detect in any way. It was a subtle change, but it was enough. At the same time, both of them felt alive. Alive and suddenly strong. They felt hope, and everything else that had eluded them since their separate accidents. But they had no idea why, no idea how, and no idea that the other person standing in front of them was feeling the exact same thing as they were.

Neither of them noticed the strange tingling centering on their respective brands.

"You should sleep." Kagome laughed softly, turning back to the counter as she grabbed the sugar bowl and scooped so much sugar into her tea that Sesshoumaru knew without a doubt that the girl had a vicious sweet tooth.

"I know I should. The question is...can I?" She turned and looked at him, but barely had a chance to blink before all she knew was darkness and a strange sensation in her body that felt like it had all fallen asleep without warning, the "pins and needles" working their way all through her body before she was lost to a black abyss.

Sesshoumaru leaned out and caught her before she could hurt herself on anything, his youki receding back into his body as he did so. She would sleep, he'd made sure of it. It was a trick he'd invented some time ago when Rin was still plagued by nightmares of the night that made her an orphan. He'd never tested it on an adult though, and was satisfied with how her body lay limp in his arms, her breathing even and slow and her face peaceful. With grace that made ballerinas jealous, he lifted her fully into his arms bridal style and headed towards the stairs, making sure to protect her from doorways and the hallway railings. When he reached her room, he frowned visibly after having seen the young child's room. The boy's room was fully unpacked and as organized as a kitsune child's room could be. Kagome's on the other hand, was mostly boxes and stacked up furniture with a small mattress sitting in one corner.

Her room would not be like this when she stayed with him.

He didn't know why that idea suddenly came to him, and he didn't linger on it as he kneeled and placed her gently on the soft mattress, hearing her sigh so quietly that it barely registered even with his youkai hearing. He studied her then as he kneeled next to her bed. Her long onyx hair was fanned around her, a few chunks coming over her shoulders and onto her chest. Her dainty hands, with her long artistic fingers, were resting on each side of her and he noticed vaguely that she left her nails bare and natural unlike most women. He looked at her face, seeing a peaceful expression there that made something in him twist strangely. Before he could think of his actions, he reached out and lifted a few stray strands from her face and smoothed them gently behind her ear. His gasp echoed in the small room as she sighed and leaned into his gentle touch, shocking him so much that he froze for more than just a few moments.

Again, something in him twisted and he was left nearly breathless.

'What is this girl doing to me? I barely know her name, barely know her and yet I react to her as if I have known her forever.' Sesshoumaru was thoroughly confused, and it was clear in his glowing golden eyes as he frowned and pulled away from her as he stood, feeling an odd sense of loss as his hand left the soft skin of her face. Something was happening, and Sesshoumaru didn't know if he was happy about it. Confused and more than mildly irritated, he walked from the room and left the small house, straddling his silver motorcycle that was sitting in the driveway before gently placing the silver helmet onto his head, still frowning at his actions.

So many things in one day that caused him to be puzzled. There was the small bits of information Kagome had revealed about the circumstances of Inuyasha's death, the way he'd somehow known that he had to go to her home in the middle of the night with an urgency that had ripped at his chest, and now these strange feelings from the kitchen and the bedroom.

Snorting, Sesshoumaru put it off as the fact that they knew exactly what the other was going through and started his motorcycle before speeding off into the night with his mind buzzing so much that he was sure, unlike her, he would not be getting any sleep on this night.

Ack! Short chapter! Nyuu...

But anywho...I'm going through a lot of emotional crap right now with the recent break up between myself and the guy that inspired Sometimes, and also the upcoming anniversary of my grandfather's death. So yeah...writing might be a tad difficult. And speaking of Sometimes...I'm considering rewriting it. I'm not sure yet and I have started the rewrite but I'm not sure if I'll leave it as it is, or if I'll rewrite it, using almost 90 real events. But meh...I'll think about it. But for now my readers, ja ne!

+Blue+


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